Michael Gove criticised for letting the ‘latte levy’ go cold

Michael Gove said that a 25p charge on single-use cups was an excited idea

HANNAH MCKAY/REUTERS

Patrick Maguire

Friday March 09 2018, 12.01am, The Times

MPs have criticised Michael Gove for failing to introduce a “latte levy” on disposable coffee cups.

A 25p charge on single-use cups, modelled on the 5p tax on plastic bags, was among recommendations to increase recycling and reduce waste made by a cross-party Commons committee in January.

Only one in 400 disposable coffee cups is recycled and the environment secretary, who has committed the government to a series of green policy measures, said the levy was an exciting idea. He gave a reusable coffee cup to each of his colleagues at a cabinet meeting last month.

Responding to the environmental audit committee’s report yesterday, the government refused to commit immediately to a change and said only that it was “something we could consider amongst other